Don’t Be an Easy Mark on Your Carpet

Today, every industry has companies or individuals that try to take advantage of customers. The carpet cleaning industry is no different. Occasionally a homeowner comes across an advertisement for a wonderful deal on carpet cleaning. After taking the deal, these offers often have conditions or fine print that exclude services, lower the price on one service while increasing the price on another, or stating that a certain extra procedure is required to get the special price. There are plenty of other underhanded techniques often used in this bait-and-switch advertising. How can you keep yourself free of deceptive offers? Preferred Carpet Care has some recommendations to help ensure the professionals you hire are true professionals.

Ask for Certification

If a company is legitimate, they’ll follow established practices in the industry. One way to do that is to attain certification by authorities in that industry. Preferred Carpet Care maintains our certification from the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). The IICRC makes sure that carpet cleaning companies meet specific requirements and levels of proficiency, and that the company abides by an established “Code of Ethics” available on their website. Preferred Carpet Care is happy to show you our certification from the IICRC upon request.

Truth in Advertising

Make sure to read any and all fine print listed in an advertised special. If uncertain, contact the company and make sure they explain the special without evasion or generalizations. You also have the right to ask for a firm price in writing if you have any questions about the legitimacy of the advertised special.

References and Reviews

Testimonials from previous or regular customers should be available for your review. While many of these can be forged or even made up in today’s markets, the company should have a list of customers that are willing to back up their experience with the company. Preferred Carpet Care has many of these testimonials offered on our website, and we encourage you to speak with our customers to verify our level of service and professionalism.

No Pressure

This is a big one. You should never feel pressured – by office staff or technicians – to upgrade your service or purchase extra products for later use. If you are, the professionalism of the company is immediately in question. Preferred Carpet Care requires our technicians be knowledgeable and informative. We also train them to be courteous and willing to take time in answering questions about policies and techniques.

Follow the Procedures

Any individual working in the professional carpet care industry should be following the industry standards. Feel free to ask them if they are operating according to those standards. You can find these standards online from legitimate sources. For instance, the Carpet and Rug institute (CRI) offers their listed standard for cleaning and maintenance online.

Of course, these are only a few suggestions to keep unscrupulous companies from treating you like an easy mark. But if you care about your carpet, then rental equipment or do-it-yourself alternatives are simply not an option. You need to have your carpet cleaned by a professional in the business, with industrial equipment in excellent condition. We encourage you to put Preferred Carpet Care under the microscope. Ask us whatever questions you feel are necessary, and we will answer them honestly and truthfully. When you’re ready, then we’re ready to help you keep your carpets as clean and possible.